6 Badass Custom Rides That Toyota Brought to SEMA

Remember when we spent a week in a heavily modified Toyota Sienna minivan, hitting race track after race track with celebrities and pro drivers during the 2016 One Lap of America? We really enjoyed our time with the Toyota team, and were totally blown away by the way in which a 2-ton soccer mom machine could spank dedicated track cars with just the right kind of modifications.

If you enjoyed that, then you’re going to love this; Toyota’s back at it again this year for SEMA, and it has a fresh run of rides for us to oggle over. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to six very different vehicles, Japan’s largest automaker has enlisted the help of some of the brightest minds in the aftermarket arena, and the results are pretty astounding.

TRD brake calipers | Toyota

Custom cars are a huge part of automotive advertising, and with SEMA celebrating 50 years of exhibition excellence this year, it only makes sense for Toyota to pull out all the stops and reveal some insane takes on a few unassuming automobiles. Granted, of the six following vehicles, two of them are already plenty performance focused in stock trim, making their modification that much more impressive.

While few car buyers will ever modify their vehicles to such levels, it certainly gives them plenty of room to dream as they pass by the Toyota booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Speaking of which, Toyota’s unveiling of the vehicles seen here, plus all eleven generations of the Corolla for its own 50th anniversary celebration drew quite a sizable crowd, as automotive enthusiasts and industry insiders admired the automaker’s past, present, and future. While on site we had the chance to sit down with a few of the people who helped make the following six builds possible, and were able to glean a few additional details on each chassis in order to offer you a menu of Toyota’s presence at SEMA 2016.

1. Xtreme Corolla

Xtreme Corolla | Toyota

When Toyota opted to bring in Jeremy Lookofsky of Cartel Customs, they didn’t realize how far he was going to take the build, which true to its title is best summed up as “Xtreme.” By taking influence from what Lookofsky likes to refer to as “old school flavor,” and instilling it within a brand-new platform, Cartel Customs was able to take a Corolla sedan and transform it into a killer coupe. The amount of detail that went into this car’s body and interior alone is mind blowing, as things like a one-off floating center console and a vented hood for performance gains can attest. Speaking of sportiness, this car is also built to kick ass; and rocks a stout little turbo setup, as well as a tightly-wound set of coilovers and a big brake kit. When asked what he thinks one of the craziest things about the build is, Lookofsky told us that it’s the fact that with a driver on board, the curb weight for this Corolla barely tops 2,000 pounds.

2. Land Speed Cruiser

Land Speed Cruiser | Toyota

Taking SUV design up a notch, Toyota’s Land Speed Cruiser has more power than all the cars combined at most SEMA booths. Spearheaded by Toyota mastermind Chuck Wade, the slammed soccer mom machine has the ability to put down more than 2,000 horsepower, and is designed to breach a top speed of 220 miles per hour. Taking Toyota’s 5.7-liter V8, boring it up to 6.2-liters, and then outfitting it with a duo of massive turbochargers that run on 58 PSI of boost. Even though Wade says his Frankenstein needs to run on VP C-85 fuel for high performance gains, it can also run on regular E85 or premium for moderate gains for trips to the grocery store.

3. Prius G

Prius track car | Micah Wright/ Autos Cheat Sheet

Having driven both the version of the Prius pictured here and its Prime cousin, we can confidently claim that the latest generation of Toyota’s green machine actually handles surprisingly well. We spoke with project leader Gordon Ting and his protege Michael Chang of Beyond Marketing about the build, and got an earful of facts pertaining to the vehicle. Inspiration for the build reportedly came from the Japanese Prius GT300, a car that surprised naysayers by confidently holding its own on the racetrack. Ting’s version doesn’t disappoint either, living up to its name by nearly pulling a full “G” on the skid pad at Willow Springs International Raceway during testing earlier this year with a 0.99, which is something typically reserved for high-dollar sports cars.

4. Extreme Sienna

Real Time’s custom Sienna minivan | Micah Wright/ Autos Cheat Sheet

Unlike the track-tuned minivans we were bumping around in earlier this year for One Lap, Real Time Automotive Solutions went for the epitome of posh parenthood with this build. With its wide body kit, carbon fiber touches, tuned exhaust, big brakes, and forged wheels, the Swagger Wagon is back and better than ever. From the home theater system and reclining massage seats, to the on-board refrigerator, and air ride system that can be controlled via an iPad, the Sienna has never looked better.

5. Tacoma TRD Pro Race Truck

TRD Pro truck | Micah Wright/Autos Cheat Sheet

After speaking with Camburg Racing’s Jerry Zaiden, we were able to fully understand why most of this TRD Pro Tacoma remained unmolested. Zaiden claims that when Camburg Racing accepted the challenge of making a race-ready version of the already agile pickup, the decision to leave the majority of the truck’s drivetrain alone was a crucial decision. By tackling the aspects of the vehicle that needed attention the most, Camburg was able to showcase how capable the vehicle already is in stock trim, while prepping it for race season next spring, as it competes in the Mint 400, “The Great American Off-Road Race,” here in Las Vegas.

6. Toyota Motorsport GmbH GT86 CS-CUP

Shipped in from Germany, the Toyota 86 CS pictured here made its U.S. debut at SEMA, marking it as the first CS-Cup Spec to be built off of the redesigned 2017 Toyota 86. Vehicle program head honcho Allen Vaught tells us that while this vehicle has seen some extreme weight reduction and handling upgrades, the majority of its drivetrain and aero styling is completely original. Engineered to attack the track, the little coupe sports a livery that offers a nod to Toyota’s racing heritage with a retro red and white design, and a laundry list of safety upgrades that allow it to compete on a professional level.